My Three Seconds With Kobe!

You've heard the saying, "Five minutes of fame," well today I discovered that I have three seconds! In all reality they probably aren't even three full seconds, but that doesn't matter because they are three seconds in the same commercial as KOBE BRYANT!

Watch closely, or you'll miss it! In seconds 03-05 of the commercial, just to the right of the chef in the background, and behind the words "Los Angeles" are parts made by my company, PACO Plastics & Engineering, Inc.



Now the story-  Probably about a month ago I answered the phone at work.  The guy on the other end wasn't quite sure what he was looking for because he wasn't from our industry.  He said that he was filming a comercial of an airplane galley and had found us online and wondered if we would be able to sell him some parts for it. I quickly responded that he indeed had called the right place and that we had done some work similar for the movie Flight Plan.

I transffered the call to my Dad who handles sales and pricing and over the next few days gathered the parts together that the man needed. The nice thing about selling to Hollywood is that you don't have to follow the same criteria outlined by the FAA as you do when selling in the aerospace industry.  The parts don't have to function, just fit a particular look, and they don't have to be certified.  We knew that the commercial they were making was for Turkish Airlines, and I guess I just assumed that it would be played out of the country and that I'd never see it.  So you can imagine my surprise when my Dad called me into his office to show me a video he just happened to stumble upon because of an article he had been reading about Kobe.

MY PARTS ARE IN KOBE'S COMMERCIAL!!!!! haha.  I know that probably sounds lame to some, but for my Laker loving family, it's awesome! And even though no one else would've noticed them on their own, I'm proud of those three seconds!

(Also, for a closer look behind the scenes...our parts are showcased in 1:47 on this video)

It's Just A Bunch of Noise!

Earlier this evening I had fallen asleep on my couch--probably due to the fact that I had worked myself to exhaustion attempting to get three stars on every level of Angry Birds--when I was abruptly awakened by this deafening screech! The fire alarm was going off at my apartment complex. I immediately got up and looked around my apartment to see what could have possibly ignited such an awful racket! Some thoughts that went through my head were:

"Are the batteries in the smoke detector bad?"

"I hope I didn't set it off in the whole building"

"Which detector is it?"

"Geez! Make it Stop!"

I believe I even tried to rip one of smoke detectors off the ceiling before the second wave of thoughts went through my head:

"Are we having a fire drill?"

"Am I supposed to evacuate?"

"Are you freaking kidding me! It's freezing outside- ugh, where's my coat?"

"Is anyone else evacuating?"

"Do I HAVE to?"

I peeked my head out my front door to find that my neighbors seemed to have the same thoughts gaging from the confused looks on their faces. Most people started to congregate in the hallways where the elevators are.  From my side of the building we have a clear view of the street and could see the fire engine pull up. Funny thing is--no one really left the complex! Why? Because we all have been conditioned to automatically ignore alarms and warning signals! 

Think about it! What's the first thing you do when you hear this:

I'm guessing it's hit the snooze button! It sure isn't thinking, "Oh goodie- it's time to wake up!"

Or what about this:

You don't jump up and run to the rescue of some poor neighbor's demise.  You automatically assume a cat jumped on the hood of the car or something and grow increasingly irritated the longer the noise prevails!

It's like the story my dad used to tell me about the boy who cried wolf. With so many false alarms in our lives, we've been conditioned to ignore and become irritated, but definitely not respond to action. Throughout this whole little ordeal the thought never occurred to me that the building might actually be on fire.  And at the end of inconvenient symphony of irritation there in deed was no fire- which completely reinforces and strengthens our already incorrect conditioning! Hopefully in the event of a real emergency, our other senses will be alerted, because when it's only something we hear...

IT'S JUST A BUNCH OF NOISE!

Last day of 2010!

I figured I need to post something today since it's the last day of 2010.

What happened to Greg in 2010:

Took Arabic classes in Beverly Hills
Went to the gym pretty regularly
Lost a bunch of weight! (but most recently gained a bunch back too- haha)
Turned 26- blah
Stayed at the Magic Castle hotel! :)
Got Magic Johnson Shoes! AWESOME!
Went to my first Laker's game in Utah
Got released from Elder's Quorum President
Waterskiied a lot
Jumped a little on the wakeboard for the first time in over 5 years
Became addicted to Ray Ban's (I have several different colors)
Shot my first Roman Candle
Launched my first bottle rocket
Got reacquainted with Childhood friends
Joined Couch Surfing (but plan on doing a lot more of that in the future)
Bought a hiking backpack
Got my first pair of TOMS
Went to Europe- Paris, Marseilles, Milan, Rome, and Barcelona! Woo hoo!
Flew Business Class for the first time- Ahh-mazing!
Jumped off the colong's (Don't know how to spell it) in Southern France
Paddle boarded in the Mediterranean Sea
Went to my first topless beach
Kissed a girl and I liked it! haha- Had to through that in.
Saw the Eifel tower, Notre Dame, Colosseum, the Vatican, and sooo many other places
Went to my first Laker's game at the Staples Center in Pres. Clegg's Box
Attended a training course in AS9100 Quality Management System and finally understand it! haha
Had Sushi and liked it
Bought a Disneyland year pass (this is gonna continue into 2011)
Went on Tower of Terror for the first time
Ate Thai food on Sunset Blvd.
Played fantasy basketball for the first time- it sucked! I stopped checking it! haha
Got called as a gospel doctrine teacher
Got to Vote- even though none of the choices were very good! haha
Had my friend Brice that I met in Europe stay with me
Walked Rodeo Drive for the first time- it's a wanna be Europe! haha
Got my first pair of Sperry Topsiders- to be followed with my second pair that my dad gave me :)
Read most of "The Miracle of Forgiveness"- Dumbest book ever! haha
Turned my mom into a crocheting machine
Mourned the death of my Tongan nephew DeeDee Tafuna
Moved into my own apartment in Long Beach
Went to my first Hot Pot party thanks to Alisha at work- and no it has nothing to do with weed! haha
Discovered Angry Birds! haha
Said good-bye to several friends who went on missions (McCain, Tyler, Alyssa, Cody, Kathryn, Megan, etc)
Finally picked up my Christmas present from last year from Billy and Susan's house- haha
Racked up a bunch of debt- haha- hopefully next New Year's even I'll write I'm debt free ;)

I'm sure that I had lots more adventures that I can't remember off the top of my head! But 2010 was a good year.  It was full of up's and down's physically and spiritually.  At the close of this year I am happy with the place I'm at in my life and hopeful for next year to be even better!

Thank you to all my family and friends who have supported me through the rough patches and been the life of the party through the fun ones! I love you all and hope you have a happy and safe New Year's Eve!

Stay tuned for more adventures...2011 style! ;)

Lessons on Light

"Did you ever wonder who you are

do your ever wonder as you stare into the stars

Where you began

And how you got this far

from home?"

"There’s a dream taking wings

There’s a voice that wants to sing

Even in the deepest darkest night

The Torch is raised to the sky

There are hands that hold it high

You were born to keep it burning bright

You were made to fly you were meant to shine

Child of light"

-Child of Light

"As the sun gives life and light to the earth, a spiritual light gives nourishment to our spirits."

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

"To observe the physical properties of light can be exciting, but discovering the properties of spiritual light and truth is even more awe inspiring and essential. We are promised, 'He that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.'"

-Robert R. Steuer

"Darkness cannot conquer light unless the light is diminished or departs"

-Robert D. Hales

"Once when President Brigham Young was asked why we are sometimes left alone and often sad, his response was that man has to learn to 'act as an independent being … to see what he will do … and try his independency—to be righteous in the dark.' That becomes easier to do when we see the 'gospel glow … radiating from … illuminated individuals.'" 

-James E. Faust

Why do all my mutant powers SUCK!?

When I was a little boy, I used to watch X-men on saturday mornings! (Let's not lie, I still watch it if I come across it playing on TV)  Well if you don't know what X-men are (because you live under a rock on some other planet or something) I will explain briefley so that this blog post makes sense. 

X-men is a series of comics created by Stan Lee the founder of Marvel Comics.  There have been several spin-offs from the comic series, including, but not limited to; movies, cartoons, books, action figures, stickers, etc.  While each take their own spin on things, they all stay true to this governing idea:

Through the process of evolution a number of humans throughout the world have genetic mutations which allow them to pocess superhuman abilities!  These abilities can be as extreme as flying, or as subtle as x-ray vision. 

Well let me just tell you, I definately am a Mutant! However, instead of getting a good power like telekenesis (moving things with your mind) or controling the weather, I got stuck with all the crappy ones!  No, I know what you're thinking- "I'm just complaining" but I will prove it!

MUTANT ABILITY #1: Extra Vertabrae

I recently discovered this wonderful power while at the chiropractor's office.  Do you know why I discovered it?  Because my back has been in constant pain for two solid weeks and I had to get x-ray's.  Most people have 5 lumbar and I have 6 and an extra disc too I think- which has the potential to cause me a whole lot of back pain in the future if I don't take care of it.  WOW! That was useful! lol!

MUTANT ABILITY #2: Monkey Arms

I know, I know! It's true I do have monkey arms.  Your wingspan (fingertip to fingertip when your arms are outstretched) is suppossed to equal your height.  Well my wingspan is 6', yet my height is only 5'9" (5'10" on a good day) lol.  And trust me, every tailor or person measuring me for clothing has told how long my arms are.  In fact the guy measuring me for my 8th grade promotion suit told me I had "unusually long, ape-like arms!" Thanks jerk! lol!  I mean my super long arms might be useful, if they were massive and ripped and could launch me around, but alas, they are not.  So while I look like a monkey, there will be no swinging from tree to tree with these bad boys!


But the last mutant ablility takes the cake! It is by far the worst!

MUTANT ABILITY #3: An Uncanny Resistance to Anti-Hystamines Due to an Uncanny Ammount of Mast Cells in my body!

Two days ago I went to the tanning booth (Yes I tan, get over it!) I was in a hurry and couldn't find my lotion so I asked Andrea if I could borrow hers.  She told me it was in her room and to just grab it.  She neglected to tell me that there were two different kinds in her room; the normal kind I use and this other one that caused her to have a bad reaction.  Can you guess which one I grabbed? 11 minutes felt like HELL! I thought I had a flesh-eating disease or something.  My skin was on fire, bright red, and felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of little needles.  Come to find out it has something in it called "tingler" which the lady told me I couldn't wash off for 6 to 8 hours or it would get worse.  Well let me just tell you it sent me into a full-blown alergic attack! I drove home as fast as I could and took 2 Benadryl and tried not to move!

When I woke up yesterday morning, It didn't hurt anymore, however, there was still a rash on my arms and legs and I didn't feel that well.  This morning, when I woke up the rash itched a little.  After my shower I put some lotion on it, thinking it was just dry skin.  Well on my way into work, my SUPER Mast Cells decided to release their Hystamines! I have never been in pain like this before! My arms and legs got itchier and itchier and would not stop burning.  I pulled off the freeway, went to the CVS and bought Benadryl Gel and Benadryl Cream, and Claritin.  I ran back to my car where I generously lathered first the gel all over my legs and arms! Then I took the pill. I brief moment of comfort insued and I thought it would be okay to continue my journey to work.  No sooner had I gotten on the freeway again that the intense burning and itching returned with a vengance.  I grabbed the cream (which is supposed to be used for like bug-bites not like lotion...lol) and I squirted the tube out all over my arms and legs and attempted to lather them while driving.  The pain was so extreme I can't even explain it! I pulled off at the next exit and called my dad.  My mom had to come get me because I couldn't move.  I then took another Benadryl! Between the topical creams and pills, I have taken enough Anti-Hystamines to knock an Elephant unconcious for a year- but do you think it has even made me drowsy!? Nope! No relief! It has lessened the intensity of the itching and burning (which I really am greatful for) but it has not taken it away! It gets worse-this could last two to three more days! I might go insane by then!!!

So while you all are out having fun this weekend, say a quick little prayer for your friend here who can only lay here and try not to scream! (Oh and I have screamed today out in pain and frustration- Chinese water torcher's got nothing on this!) LOL!

Why couldn't I have just been born with Telekenisis?! :(

My love/hate relationship!

I have a love/hate relationship with the sun! I love him, but he hates me! So on Wednesday I didn't go into work, because I needed to stay home and get the yard ready for Ryan's manshower! If you don't know what that is, then you better read his blog:

Ryan Ridley- Manshower

Anyways, I decided since I didn't have to go in I would make a little visit to the dermatologist to look at a mole on my back that had been bothering me. It has been like 12 years since I've even seen one so I thought it might be good to just get a check up anyways! Lol. Well he removed the mole- turns out it was just a mole that had been scratched and irritated- and didn't seem too concerned about any of the other ones I have. The "surgery" was quick and easy and I didn't even feel it. They stuck a bandaid on and sent me on my way.

Ironically, I went straight to Ghostbusters to tan! Lol! Then I went home to help mom in the yard. Josh and I thought this was the perfect oportunity to get some real sun instead fake sun from the tanning booth, so we took our shirts off and worked in the yard! I kind of lost track of time and the fact that I still had tanning lotion on from the tanning booth, and that I still had a bandaid on my back from the dermatologist! Lol! Well, the mix of those three things proved disasterous!

See for yourself:
















Mind you, these pictures were taken a couple days after the intial burn- the redness had already begun to fade. Wednesday night, I looked like Sebastian from the little mermaid! Lol!

I don't know why he's gotta be so cruel to me! Why can't he just give me a nice golden-brown kind of color? Instead no matter how much I try to be close to him, he always paints me red! Lol!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

To the Laker game and back again!

So I got the craziest idea last week that I should take a quick road trip up to Salt Lake and go to the Laker vs. Jazz game there.  So I talked to McCain and he was totally down for it!

 Friday we left after work! Got to Provo about 2:00 AM and then crashed at Griffin's appartment.  Saturday, I dropped McCain, Griffin and Aubrey off at Temple Square so they could visit Sagan and take a tour with her, and I went and hung out with my cousin Molly!

Then we all went to Hire's Big H for lunch- love the burgers and the amazing Rootbeer Freeze!

I took Molly home and Mac, Griff, and Aubrey went to the Energy Solutions Arena to meet Brooks and his girlfriend Kesia and get our seats.  I raced back to the Arena and watched the most intense and awesome game!

I was nervous at times, but the Lakers pulled through! Mac wore his "Here's Ronnie" shirt and I wore my "Only Kings Have Rings" shirt, available at The Forest Lab!  We got tons of compliments from Lakers fans, and a few dirty looks from everyone else. 

Mac especially had his own little fan club two rows behind us! You gotta love a drunk Laker fan singing "We Love LA...We Love It" over and over again, and yelling "Here's Ronnie" everytime Ron Artest got the ball! LOL! Mac even got the honor of being dubbed the Baddest Mother F*er in the whole place! LOL! However, after we won the real fun happened...


First off let me say- Jazz fans suck! LOL! The following is an excerpt I wrote in response to someone complaining that We Laker fans owe some kind of "Respect" to Jazz fans on Joshua Mezin's Facebook status:

Let me just say, I was at the game and there is definately no room for respect for any of the Jazz fans who were there! I watched as they physically accosted a laker fan! One guy bashed a glass bottle over his head, and as he was bleeding profusly the rest of the crowd would barely let him get down to safety, they were too busy pushing and swearing... See More at him! Can you say sore losers! And then to top it all off, when security was called the guy who smashed the bottle took his jersey and hat off to look different and ran off like a punk ass b*tch. A lady in her mid-30's early 40's proudly announced to the people around her that, "that guy just beat up a laker fan" and to let him through so he could do it some more! "Sore losers" aren't the only 2 word phrases that came to mind, I think "white trash" would fit appropriately as well! I love how everyone who walked by us would say lakers suck! Really? If we suck so bad how come we just won!? You guys need to come up with something better than Lakers Suck, or Kobe Sucks, because it only makes you sound more pathetic and ignorant than you already are! All I gots to say is that I wish someone would grab the guy who smashed the bottle and drop him in the middle of the Staples Center and just see if he makes it home alive! Lol! I love Basketball season because the Lakers unite us- it's the only place and time you can see the ghettoist gangbanger hugging a Beverly Hills CEO out of pure celebration! I echo the words of the theme song- and my Vato homie two rows behind me- "We love LA! We love it!" Good game Jazz- you played your hearts out and kept it intense and we didn't play our best and made some crucial mistakes and we still spanked you on your own court. Wait!? If you played your best and we beat you when we played our worst....Who sucks now!? Lol!

After the game, Mac and I drove to Mesquite, where we spent the night and then drove the rest of the way home in the morning!  Our car ride was long and our time in Utah was short, but it was worth every minute! It was an amazing weekend!

My Cup Runneth Over- Well at least my iPhone's does!

I think that knowledge is a treasure! I love learning new things! So you can only imagine how excited I was when I discovered that I could download podcasts and lectures from iTunes U on my iPhone! I'm telling you this thing really IS a seer stone! LOL!


I discovered it as I was watching General Conference.  I went on iTunes to see if I could download one of the talks I really enjoyed and discovered a whole world of lectures I could download all for free!

I immediately started searching for lectures on my two favorite topics: History and Religion! I'm a Nerd...I know! And then started downloading as many as I could!

Service isn't the greatest at the Doghouse and so my queue filled up pretty quickly! Before I knew it, I had over 800 things lined up to download! LOL! To be honest I still have like 48 things in it waiting to download, but yesterday I ran into a little problem! I discovered that my phone's memory was full! It gets worse, I have the 32GB memory iPhone- which honestly doesn't mean anything to mean because I'm a history major not a computer major, but I've been told that's really big! LOL!

I know, you're probably thinking I'm crazy and will never in a million years be able to listen to all of those, but you forget that I drive a LOT! I'm in the car at least 2 hours everyday going back and forth from work, probably more, so I decided that I'm going to make those drives productive and start learning new things!

The Scriptures say:

D& C 130: 18-19

Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

D& C 93:36-37, 53 

The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one… And, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you should hasten… to obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the salvation of Zion. Amen.

 

So on my way home from work last night, and on my way to work this morning I've been listening to Ari Goldwag's  "Daily Kabbalah Lessons" and I'm loving them! VERY INTERESTING! I think you'd be interested- especially if you're LDS- in hearing some of these Jewish teachings!

But yeah, I'm loving this new aspect of my wonderful iPhone! Now I just need to put some of them on my computer to free up some memory! LOL!

"The foolish man built his house upon the sand"

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

The foolish man built his house upon the sand,

And the rains came tumbling down.

The rains came down, and the floods came up

The rains came down, and the floods came up,

The rains came down, and the floods came up,

And the house on the sand washed away.

-LDS Primary Hymn

So this weekend was General Conference, and if you aren't familiar with our family tradition, we usually try to go to the Doghouse to watch it. Whether it's April or October, the Doghouse is always beautiful around Conference time. Most of the time we invite a bunch of friends to come up and watch conference with us, because then we play and have fun in between sessions, but this time Conference happened to fall on Easter weekend and most people were spending the weekend with their families.

I loved Conference! Half of the time it felt like the speaker had written his talk just for me, as if he or she were directly addressing me, and no one else. I especially love priesthood session, because we get to watch it at the Yermo chapel, which is about the size of maybe two classrooms in a normal church building. It is very quaint and always has a special spirit about it!

This Conference, our family tried something new! It's all my Grandpa's fault really! A few months ago he purchased this little Polaris Razor (like a dune-buggy) and has been bugging my dad to get one ever since. So I guess Dad finally caved, because he bought one and picked it up Friday evening. We used to go out exploring the beautiful desert landscape on quads when Andrea and I were younger, but it's been several years since we have done it as a family. Riding through the sand dunes in the desert, makes me feel as if I'm on another planet, or a whole different dimension. It is beautiful and strange all at the same time.

Anyways, we took a little trip down to the river bed, where the sand had overtaken several houses and it made me think of the primary song. Maybe it was just because I was listening to General Conference, but it seemed like the perfect illustration of what happens when you don't have a strong foundation.

It was way cool to explore and I can't wait to go out again before it starts getting too hot!

I Have a Ribbon!

I know, I know- you're probably all thinking, "yeah right, it's April Fool's Day!" But I promise it's just bad timing on my part! LOL! I'm usually really into April Fool's but for some reason this year I'm not!

So the other day I was kind of pressured into signing up for a 12 sessions with a personal trainer at my gym.  I initially wanted to do it, but I decided that I'm not ready for that just right now.  I just enjoy going whenever I want without having the stress of trying to schedule appointments in my busy week.  But nonetheless, I signed up.  I told Donna (the trainer) about a condition I've had since childhood called Systemic Mastocytosis (It's a mouthful- I know).  Basically I wanted her to be aware that while I'm not forbidden to working out my stomach muscles, I can't over-do it, otherwise I might go into anaphylaxis shock, which isn't super fun! LOL!

Well the day came for our first appointment and I was supposed to meet her at 6:00pm.  It is next to impossible for me to leave work and get home by 6:00pm but I was trying! Of course, I was late like 20 minutes, traffic was bad, I was stressed, and I realized even more that I just wanted my money back because I really didn't want to do this! So I walk in and explain myself and ask for the money back.  Well she is very accomodating and keeps asking me please not to stress over this, it was completely fine, and that I should just relax and she would take care of everything.  There was even a sense of urgency in her voice.

So the next day she comes up to me as I'm walking on the treadmill and says that she had looked up my condition online and had been doing a little research on it.  She said that stress was a major trigger and that I should really be careful driving back and forth so far to and from work.  She chatted some more about it and offered her services as a nutritionist because she really thinks I could use some help with it.  Well I went into the locker room when I was done and googled "Systemic Mastocytosis." No wonder she gave me my money back and even seemed to be over concerned.  Reading the websites makes it sound as if I'll drop dead any second! LOL! Poor lady thought I might die right there in her office! LOL!

I was stoked to see that there is a whole lot more information on the disease (although I don't like to call it that- it makes me sound sickly! LOL!).  When I was a child they had no clue what was going on! I even have an awareness ribbon! Which I'm way stoked about! LOL! I might wear it every day now! (I know- they one for everything)!

But now you're probably wondering what the heck is SYSTEMIC MASTOCYTOSIS?

Well I've included a link to a great website that will explain it pretty thouroughly. But warning: it does kind of make it sound like I'll die any second- don't worry about me- I haven't died yet- it's not gonna happen from my condition- I promise!

Basically, my body produces too many MAST CELLS.

Mast Cells are part of the immune system.  They release chemicals like histamine- which has a lot of functions but the most common ones are like symptons of allergic reactions. 
This little video shows what happens when a Mast cell comes in contact with an allergen:



Pretty Explosive huh!? Well Mast cells are located in all connective tissue and Bone Marrow, Intestines, skin, lots of places.  Basically my Mast Cells can be triggered to respond like the one you just saw by a plethora of triggers: from heat, cold, stress, spicy food, exercise, sudden blow to the stomach, medications, and just about anything.  It can even vary from day to day.  The reason they can be triggered so easily is because they don't die when their supposed to and become unstable.  Because they don't die when they are supposed to is also another reason my body has too many! LOL!

A Mast Cell can either leak its contents slowly, or rapidly, like the exploding one above. In both cases the silly little guys seem to give me trouble.  They can cause lots symptoms, including but not limited to:

Abdominal pain

Anaphylaxis

Blood pressure changes & shock

Bone pain (mild to severe/debilitating)

Chest pain

Cognitive difficulties/brain fog

Degenerative disc disease

Diarrhea

Dizziness/vertigo/lightheadedness

Faintness

Fatigue

Flushing

Gastroesophageal reflux

Hematological abnormalities

Hives & other rashes

Inflammation of the esophagus

Intestinal cramping and bloating

Itching, with and without rashes

Irritable bowel

Liver, spleen and other organ involvement

Malabsorption

Migraine headaches

Muscle pain Nausea

Osteoporosis/Osteopenia

Peripheral neuropathy and paresthesias

Rapid heart rate

Vomiting

Sounds like fun right! LOL! It's one of the reasons my stomach occasionally gets in a rather loud growling mood.  It's really quite embarrassing because it always seems to happen at the quietest times. LOL! It also explains why I'm extra protective of my stomach, why I can be really sick one day and better the next, why occassionally I get migraine headaches and why I am just a little extra cautious about some of my activities!

But I was really quite suprised when I found this offical website: The Mastocytosis Society

In my entire life I've never met anyone else with Systemic Mastocytosis. I have met 1 person with a Mast Cell disease, but only a skin one.

As I explored the site a little bit I stumbled upon a blog of guy titled: living with Mastocytosis or something like that! LOL! The guy is 40 something years old and has had Systemic Mastocytosis for the past 13 years and he writes about his struggles and fears and stuff! In one post he even talks about how he was worried he might go into anaphylaxis shock (oh- no...with sarcasim) I guess I don't understand what the big deal is! That may sound insensative, but I've had Systemic Mastocytosis since birth and throughout my life I've gone into anaphylaxis shock probably 11 or 12 times! I mean it's definately not a fun experience or anything, but it's not something that's at the forefront of my mind ALL the time! It all seems a little silly to me! But hey- I have a ribbon now and that's what counts! LOL!

And I guess it's a little cool to know that there are others out there like me- even if they do sound a little exaggerated! LOL!

In case you don't know what anaphylaxis shock is...watch this video...




...mine doesn't swell up my air passage and cause me to stop breathing though! It does cause my head to feel like it's about to explode- probably swelling- and then have extreme hypotension (low blood pressure) and pass out.


And here's a little more scientific picture of a Mast Cell and it's role in the Immune System- It's way too complicated for me though! But I thought, maybe you're a science person and would like it!

Thank you for being a Friend!

Thank you for being a friend

Traveled down the road and back again

Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant.

And if you through a party

Invited everyone you ever knew

You would see the biggest gift would be from me

And the card attached would say thank you for being a friend.

Yes, I know it's the Golden Girls Theme Song, and it's corny, but it's kind of how I feel today! So you may or may not have noticed that I've been a little down for the past month or so. Well, yesterday I was sick of being sad and moved right on in to the angry phase! Everything seemed to make me bitter and angry!

Well I was talking to a good friend last night and she said two things that hit me! The first, "Stop being ungrateful for your blessings" and the three magic words that impacted me the most, "You're allowing it!"

She was right! I am so blessed! And I am especially blessed to be surrounded by true and loving friends! Thanks guys!

President Spencer W. Kimball explained: "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs" ("Small Acts of Service," Ensign, Dec. 1974, p. 5). 

-Gospel Principles Manual

My closest friends are always there for me! They support me and love me, even when I'm difficult to love! Lol! You guys know who you are and I love you! Each of you teach me and inspire me to be better! You are awesome examples to me! What a blessing from Heavenly Father!

Each life that touches ours for good

Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;

Thou sendest blessings from above

Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,

What greater goodness can we know

Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways

Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim

Devotion to the Savior's name,

Who bless our days with peace and love,

We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

-LDS Hymns

Just Me and My Cuzzy!

Last night I went and hung out with my little cousin Emma! I hadn't seen her in probably 4 months, maybe longer- which is a shame because she just lives in Orange County! But we had a lot of fun! We went to this little Mexican food drive through (which I can't think of the name right now, but it's bomb!) and then just ate in my car.  Then we went and sat on the beach and caught up! Then we went back to her new place and just hung out for a while! I love my cousin! I'm glad that we finally hung out!

[Christ] has offered us the family as an example of an ideal setting in which we can learn how to love as He loves...because the greatest joys and the greatest sorrows we experience are in family relationships. The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is.

Henry B. Eyring, “Our Perfect Example,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 70-71

I Work With A Serial Killer!

So, I'm pretty convinced someone at work is trying to kill me! You know how most packages of food and stuff say do not eat if seal is broken or if package is damaged or whatever! Well there is a little refrigerator in my dad's office that we keep stocked with water bottles. The other day I pulled a water bottle out and opened it and started to drink it- nothing too unusual! I sat it on my desk and kept working. As I reached for it to take another drink, I noticed something funny about the lid! It looked like someone had cut the top off so they could put poison in! I set it to the side and got a new bottle because I was clearly disturbed that I drank from a poisoned water bottle, but I wrote it off as a faulty manufacturer- until- the next day the exact same thing happened! Clearly this is the work of a serial killer and I am the intended target! My dad's secretary thinks it was probably meant for her and I am just collateral damage, but I'm not so sure! Lucky if the bottles were poisoned he must have used ioccaine powder- because I've developed an immunity to that- and I was unaffected by any substance which most certainly could have been in the tampered water bottles! What? You don't believe me?

Here is the evidence: it speaks for itself!









Call the B.A.U or C.S.I. or S.V.U. or whatever you want! But I'm just going to have to watch my back I guess until they catch the culprit!

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Health Care Crisis!

Help! My mom's Chia Obama is in serious need of some health care!




I know you all probably thought I was going to express some kind of political opinion about the new Health Care legislation- but honestly I don't really have an opinion on it because I don't really understand how it will effect me! I mean, I've clicked on the yahoo posts, "How will this effect you!?" but I couldn't find where I fit in! It talked about seniors, and people with low income (I might fit there-lol), people with kids, people without health insurance, people under 26 (that's me- oh wait I turn 26 in like two months), people with high income (definately not me), but no average Joe, middle-class American, who already has health insurance. So I don't know if it's worth rejoicing or panicking!

A much bigger crisis in my mind is the fact that my mom's favorite christmas present is dying! We followed the directions perfectly! It started to grow but then just turned shriveled and black, and little bugs started flying around and living on it! GROSS! So if anyone has experience raising Chias then please send me some tips how to care for his health!

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Monday Nights At The Kennedy's

Since the year pretty much started I've been taking an Arabic Class at the Beverly Hills Language Institute every Monday night. The class gets out about 9:00 and I don't wantto make the long drive home, so I crash with my friends Austin and Natalie Kennedy!

I just wanted to take a second to publicly thank them for all they do for me! I LOVE THEM!!! They are true friends and awesome people! And tons of fun!!!

L. Tom Perry, “Good Friends,” New Era, Feb 1993, 4

If you find yourself racing through life, slow down long enough to take along some good friends.

The friends we choose to associate with are main contributing factors in the formation of our character. We form social habits by association with our friends. These habits can be useful when directed towards the formation of a wholesome personality.

Thanks guys for being good examples to me!


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Two Temples in Two Days!

I think I'm really fortunate to live within driving distance of 4 temples! I don't often take advantage of it but this weekend I got to go to two temples in two days. Friday night I went to San Diego and Saturday I went to L.A.



Both temples are beautiful and amazing!

"The Prophet Joseph said the main object of the gathering of the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the world 'was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation.' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 307-8.)"

David B. Haight, "Temples and Work Therein," Ensign, Nov. 1990, 60

"To be saved—or to gain salvation—means to be saved from physical and spiritual death. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death. People may also be saved from individual spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, by their faith in Him, by living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and by serving Him.

"To be exalted—or to gain exaltation—refers to the highest state of happiness and glory in the celestial realm. These blessings can come to us after we leave this frail and mortal existence. The time to prepare for our eventual salvation and exaltation is now (see Alma 34:32-33)."

Russell M. Nelson, "Salvation and Exaltation," Ensign, May 2008, 8

It is an extereme honor and privledge to be able to go to the temple and learn both about salvation and exaultation! I know that truly these are houses of God!



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